VETERANS of a crucial Second World War battle gathered in York for their annual memorial service.
The reunion in the Minster Gardens, with a wreath-laying at the Minster, was held yesterday for former soldiers who fought in the Battle Of Kohima.
The 1944 clash saw Allied forces halt the advance of the Japanese Army in Burma, in a battle involving massive hand-to-hand fighting.
The service was conducted by Reverend Clinton Langston, the Senior Chaplain of the 15 (North East) Brigade, and a blessing was given by the Reverend Canon Jeremy Fletcher.
Captain D H Woodcock, formerly of the 16th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, read a funeral oration, alongside readings by other veterans. A minute's silence was held to remember soldiers who died in the fighting and a bugler sounded the Last Post and Reveille.
At the end of the service, wreaths were laid at the Kohima Memorial, in Minster Gardens, by senior army commanders, veterans and the Kohima Educational Trust.
Veterans and their families then went to a reception at Imphal Barracks.
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